This invention relates generally to a electrically operated vacuum cleaner apparatus and particularly to a battery operated vacuum cleaner and more particularly to a portable operated vacuum cleaner.
It is an object of the present invention to provide a portable battery operated vacuum cleaner capable of being moved on a human's back or be carried by a shoulder strap thereby permitting the use of both hands. Still further it is an object of this invention to provide a portable vacuum cleaner capable of being carried up a ladder while permitting the person to hold onto the ladder.
Another object of this invention is to provide a portable vacuum cleaner which may be used either inside or outside of a building and may be carried to any location with a minimum effort and which will provide a means of cleaning high surfaces such as barn rafters.
Still another object of the present invention is to provide a portable vacuum cleaner which will be particularly useful for removing cobwebs.
Cobwebs can be particularly difficult to remove because of their ability to adhere to a surface including a cleaning tool attached to an extension device of a conventional vacuum cleaner.
Further cobwebs can adhere to the internal surface of an extension tube resulting in a decrease in the effectiveness of a vacuum cleaner or in the worst case causing plugging of the extension tube. And in a barn housing horses, it is particularly desireable to remove cobwebs because of a tendency of the cobwebs to be formed quickly and to be larger and to collect more dirt and insects.
U.S. Pat. No. 1,156,235 discloses a handheld vacuum cleaner whose motor is operated via an external power source. U.S. Pat. No. 3,267,510 discloses a portable vacuum cleaner using rechargeable batteries as a power source. U.S. Pat. No. 4,536,914 discloses a portable vacuum cleaner, which can be used in both dry and wet operations and also uses rechargeable batteries as a power source. U.S. Pat. Nos. 2,984,852; 2,134,301; 4,345,351; 4,473,918; 2,624,061; and 1,752,664 discloses various extension means for mops and dusters.
However, a problem exists in that a conventional portable vacuum cleaner has difficulty in removing a large number of cobwebs and more difficulty when the cobwebs are attached to a barn's ceiling or rafters and are associated with large quantities of debris; particularly straw, insects, soil particles and dust.
Also a portable vacuum cleaner connected by an electric cord to an external power source could have a safety problem. The walking surfaces of a barn often have wet surfaces or puddles of water. A person handling such a cleaner could step on wet surface and an unintentional grounding occur thereby injuring the handler.